Suited for Spacewalking pdf - Virtual Astronaut

Introduction:The steps spacesuit engineers and technicians followedin achieving a goal of creating reliable spacesuitsystems for exploration of the surface of theMoon and for construction and maintenance workin Earth orbit were the same as those used in nearlyevery technological endeavor:ChallengeDesign and construct a protective garment that willpermit humans to venture safely into outer spaceand perform work.ResearchInvestigate the environment in which the garmentwill be worn and determine what protective measuresmust be employed.ManagementOrganize the effort into teams that design suit subsystems and investigate and select appro p ri a t ematerials and technologies.Fabricate PrototypesConstruct and assemble suit subsystems into thecompleted garment.team, combines skills and content from science,mathematics, and technology. The challenge is todesign and build a full-scale wearable model spacesuitto be used to explore the surface of Mars. Sinceno human expeditions to Mars are planned formany years, actual Martian spacesuits have not yetbeen built and there are no "right" answers.Consequently, this activity permits students to participatein "leading edge" research.The overview of the activity is contained in aDesign Brief format. It begins with a title and acontext statement (introduction) and is followed bya challenge to create a Martian spacesuit. This isfollowed by information on materials, equipment,procedures, and evaluation. The success of theactivity depends upon how well the students organizetheir work and communicate with each other.A computer with project software can be used tomonitor the progress of the project or a flow chartcan be constructed on a chalk or bulletin board. Asan added aid to communication, Interface ControlDocuments (ICD) are created as systems aredesigned.(Reproducible master on page 49. SampleEvaluateTest the garment in a simulated space environmentand make modifications where needed.ManufactureConstruct operational spacesuits.Ongoing EvaluationContinue refining spacesuit subsystems to improveefficiency, reliability, versatility, and safety whilelowering costs.The pages that follow outline a multifaceted technologyeducation activity on spacesuits. This activity,designed for an entire class to work on as aTechnology Education is a multi-disciplinary subject combining mathematics,science, and technology.4 4 • Suited for Spacewalking An Activity Guide for Technology Education, Mathematics, and Science, EG- 1 9 9 8 - 0 3 - 1 1 2 - H Q